PLAYLIST OF MY LIFE – Jessi Frey; 2019

Does the name Velcra sound familiar? This industrial band was making headway in the early 2000s with hits like “Can’t Stop Fighting.” Playing their final show in Nosturi this fall, Jessi Frey has now moved on to a solo career, with her latest release now available, Villainess. Today we have the playlist of her life to share with you!

1. The first song you remember hearing as a child
My parents listened to a lot of afro disco, so “September” by Earth Wind and Fire is probably a fairly accurate memory.

2. The first song you can recall ever really and truly loving
I remember seeing Faith No More’s “Epic” on MTV and immediately stopping, thinking what is this and promptly listening to it non-stop for the next decade or so.

3. A song that you loved as a teenager/reminds you of high school
“Should I Stay or Should I go” by The Clash. We had gone to a nearby town to party on a Friday. I remember it being dark and rainy and there were lots of us crammed in a little car and this song was playing the whole night. I was probably 15 years old and that song always reminds me of that night.

4. The song or band that got you into metal music (or the current genre you play in)
My biggest influence as a metal musician is definitely the inimitable Tarrie B (Manhole, Tura Satana, My Ruin). She made realise that girls can grunt too, and listening to her records is how I learned to do it myself.

5. The most recent song to get stuck in your head
I’m currently obsessed with a song called “Head First” by my niece LVDIA. It’s a mesmerising, sad, atmospheric tune that I find myself humming all the time.

6. Your guilty pleasure song/band
The Pet Shop Boys’ 80’s records “Please” and “Actually” are great. If you peel back the campness there is some hard-hitting synth pop to be found underneath.

7. The first album you bought with your own money/the first album you were really excited to ownThe very first record that I would say I owned was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The USA”. Looking back I find it quite disturbing that a young Finnish girl would enjoy that record in any way, but I loved it.

8. A song that makes you want to curl up on the couch with a hot beverage
Philip Glass’s “Heroes Symphony” which is based on David Bowie’s album “Heroes”. I don’t listen to a lot of classical music, but this one I love. There was a time in my life when I was awake at night a lot, and instead of feeling anxious about it, I loved to light a few candles and listen to this album at like 3 o’clock in the morning.

9. A song to blast at full volume while you’re on the road
I do like to listen to the heavier stuff while on the road, and I never get tired of Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile.”

10. The song you’d most like to be played at your funeral
When I got married, we walked down the aisle to the Star Wars theme song, so I think at my funeral it would have to be “The Imperial March.”